Microphone pickup for pianos



Oct. 21, 1958 R. c. BABICKY 2,85 ,8

MICROPHONE PICKUP FOR PIANOS Filed June 5, 1956 ml" IMM MHI 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig./

W- W M w" "w w Raymond C. Bab/'cky INVENTOR.

Attorneys Oct. 21, 1958 R. c. BAB ICKY MICROPHONE PICKUP FOR PIANOS 2 SheetsSheet 2 Filed June 5, 1956 Fig.4

W h m F a .h/ a J w 3 ..|||.n 6 3 United States Patent MICROPHONE PICKUP FOR PIANOS Raymond C. Babicky, Milwaukee, Wis. Application June 5, 1956, Serial No. 589,508 2 Claims. (Cl. 84-1.!)4)

The present invention relates to novel and practical sound pickup means through the medium of which the output of sound waves from a piano may be reliably, sat isfactorily and effectively amplified and involves the use, quite successfully, of an improved combination of generally well known expedients.

As is generally well recognized and agreed, pianos have been one of the most difiicult of the musical instruments to cope with, having in mind a successful mode of amplification. Attempts to support and utilize microphones on the inside of a piano have resulted in picking up, quite objectionably, extraneous noises from the keys, hammers and other parts of the piano action, plus overtones from the strings.

It follows that it is an objective here to attain the desired amplification results ranging from the tones in the bass to those in the treble with finesse an'd fidelity in a manner which will receive endorsement of manufacturers, musicians and listeners achieving, at the same time less wear and tear on the piano components.

Another object of the invention is to provide amplitude minus distortion and to obviate the necessity of the pianist having to train himself to cope with a situation which, under ordinary circumstances, involves special touch technique or, in such instances where amplification is not available, to pound the keys when, for instance, a concert is being given in a hall or space possessed of poor acoustics.

A further object has to do with the adoption and use of simple, economical and easy-to-use structural devices wherein the micro-phones or pickups are embodied in a self-contained device which lends itself to adaptable use on virtually all makes of pianos, such as grands, uprights, spinets and the like, said device being mounted exteriorly on one of the posts carried by the sounding board in a manner to be hereinafter more explicity revealed.

Briefly summarized, the invention involves a conventional type piano having the usual piano action, keyboard, and sounding board, the latter having customary exteriorly disposed posts, a sound pickup means, additional means carried thereby whereby said pickup means is detachably accessible, and adjustably mounted on at least one of said posts, an amplifier having readily available volume and other required manual controls and adapted to occupy a position near the pianist for expedient utilization, and a cable separably and operatively connecting said amplifier with said soun'd pickup means.

In carrying out the concept the novel self-contained pickup means or device is characterized by a simple wooden or equivalent box-like case which houses the essential parts, the same being equipped essentially with a simple U-shaped or equivalent bracket, the latter being adapted to be fastened on one of the back posts carried by the aforementioned sounding board.

Other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying sheets of drawings.

2,856,805 Patented Oct. 21, 1958 In the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts through the views:

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a so-called upright piano, showing the sounding board and posts at the back and depicting the readily applicable and removable self-contained sound pickup device or unit mounted on one of the posts and operatively connected with a suitable amplifier;

Figure 2 is' an enlarged fragmentary view illustrating the back posts and showing the attaching clamp and the manner in which it is used;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of a grand piano showing how the pickup unit is mounted on the sounding board thereof;

Figure 4 is an elevational view observing the side of the device which shows the U-shaped attaching bracket or clamp;

Figure 5 is what may be called a top plan view of the same;

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Figure 5 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 7 is an enlarged view of certain of the details which may be said to be taken approximately on the plane of the line 77 of Figure 4; and

Figure 8 is a cross-section on the line 8-8 of Figure 5.

In Figures 1 to 3 the upright piano is denoted by the numeral 10 and the sounding board at the back is denoted at 12 and the vertical back posts by the numerals 14. In the bottom plan showing of the grand piano in Figure 3 the sounding board is denoted at 16 and the posts or braces at 18. The portable ready-touse and therefore self-contained pickup unit means or device is denoted generally by the numeral 20. It is of horizontally elongated form and may be said to be a boxlike case or housing and while in practice experimental models have been made from wood it will be evident that any suitable material will be utilized. As seen in Figure 8 the box is substantially rectangular in cross-seetion and the bottom is denoted at 22. The opposed side which may be called either the front or the top, may be said to be open except for partial covering by way of an appropriately fabricated open-work grill or screen 24. This is mounted on strips of molding 26 suitably fastened to the interior portions of the side walls. At the center and on the interior as shown in Figure 7 are U-shaped adapters 28 suitably fastened in place with the bight por tions thereof serving as appropriate attaching and mounting devices for the U-shaped brackets or clamps 30. This has its bight portion 32 screwed or otherwise fastened at 3 4 to the bight portions of the adapters 28. One long arm is denoted at 36 and the shorter arm at 38. The numeral 40 designates protective felt lining media. The bracket is constructed to embrace one of the back posts in the manner shown for example in Figure 2. The short arm has a screw threaded hole 42 which accommodates the screw threaded shank 44 of the setscrew. The setscrew has a swivelly mounted felt-faced head 46 which binds against the post. At the other end there is a suitable finger-grip or knob 48.

One or two pickup microphones are provided and these in and of themselves may be said to be of any suitable or well known type. They are conveniently denoted by the numerals 50 and 52 in Figure 6. Each microphone is glued or otherwise fastened to a sponge rubber pad of general disk form and which is denoted by the numeral 54 in Figure 8. This in turn is glued or otherwise fastened to the interior of the bottom or wall 22. The two microphones are connected by a single suitably armored or shielded conductor 56. One end of this is joined to a single screw threaded fitting or connector 56 which serves to accommodate a complemen'tal screw threaded coupling 58 on a cooperating end of a cable 60 of appropriate length which is connected with a conventional-type amplifier 62. This has suitable manual controls 64 and a switch 66. There is also a power cord 68 with a plug 70 for connection with a receptacle or outlet .as shownin Figure 1. In practice the cable 60 will have to be of suflicien't length that the amplifier may assume a position on the .fioor with convenient reach of the pianist (not shown).

In practice it is obvious thatthe self-contained wooden or equivalent case or unit housing the pad-insulated microphones is fastened bythe clamp on the back post of the piano in the manner shownand a cable is fastened to the case and the cable leads to the amplifier which in turn amplifies the output from the piano. As before stated this system saves wear and tear on the piano because the keys do not have to be pounded and it ohviously makes playing more comfortable and easier for the pianist.

With the pickup constructed and mounted as described it has been found that the key noise, the overtones from the strings, and the mechanism noise are not picked up. The floating microphones pick up all musical tones and the full range of the keyboard off the sound board and without distortion or echoes. All transmittal of tonal vibrations through the casing of the microphone are avoided. The tonal quality of amplification is far superior to any obtainable heretofore where microphones were attached directly to the casing or sound board and the like.

My type of piano pickup besides the typical arrangement will be made on customer order, basic principle, however, will be carried through, wood case, crystal microphone unit, single wire to fitting, placement on piano, same type of holding bracket. The difference will be in the length of wood case, number of microphones in case, and placement of microphones in case. This will come about in this manner: I now have, for example, an order from a customer who plays what is known in the trade as old time piano. This customer plays more of the right hand or on the high register of the piano, therefore, wants extra amplification on the high register and We will make an extra installation of an additional microphone to give this certain effect. Another customer will feature the left hand orbass part thus using an extra microphone on that end of the pickup unit. This will account for the variation in case size and number of microphones, Width of case may also vary but still be in keeping with basic principle. With the basic design in Fig. 1, I obtain satisfactory balance and the truest piano tone.

It is to be repeated that the self-contained readily applicable and removable device 20 can be and is used by a pianist going from one job to another. Since it would not be practicable for the pianist to have to go to the backof the piano to get at volume control there are no volume controls on the device 20. Instead they are on the amplifier and the amplifier is placed handily close to the pianist.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A ready-to-usesound .pickup device expressly designed and constructed for removable attachment to at least one of the back posts embodied in a multiple post piano sounding board construction comprising a portable box-like case of a length that it is adapted to bridge a plurality of the back posts and to span the spaces existing between the respective back posts whereby when the case is inuseits effective sound pickup range is from the bass to the treblestrings of the over-all piano, said case'being closed on all but one side and said one side being open and protectively covered by a screen, said screen covered side being adapted to face and be pressed firmly against exterior surfaces of a plurality of the back posts, anattaching and retaining bracket affixed to the screened side of said casing, and atleast one microphonemounted in said case and covered by said screen, and a current conductor operatively connected with said microphone and for the most part housed in said case and having a coupling at one end which is exposed and adapted to accommodate a connector on an amplifier cable, said bracket being U-shaped and having arms one of which is provided with a setscrew, said bracket being situated at the median portion of the case so that a-simple singlebracket serves to attach and satisfactorily retain the case ,in its effectually usable position and also permits the same to be detached so that it may, as a self-contained unit, be carried by the user from job to job.

2. The structure defined in claim 1, and in combination, a pair of transversely disposed longitudinally spaced U-shaped adapters fastened in place within the confines of said case and having their bight portions paralleling overlying portionsof the screen tobrace the screen, the bight portion of said U-shaped bracket being disposed lengthwise of the screened side of the case and being detachably fastened at longitudinally spaced points to the bight portions of said adapters.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,530,252 Luberofi Nov. 14, 1950 

